Challenge Island News & Blogs

Registration is open for summer camps across the country and internationally! Choose from a variety of Challenge Island theses including Polynesian Quest, Super Sleuth, Slime Squad, American Girls & Dolls, and much more! Click here to find your location and secure your spot in the tribe today!

Summer is quickly approaching and one of the best activities to enjoy a sunny day is to unleash your inner artist with sidewalk chalk! Sidewalk chalk is very simple to make and will save your some money, give your kids a project, and be fun for the whole family. Step 1: Materials You can get everything you need for this project from a craft or art supply store and around the house. You'll need: Plaster of Paris Water Powdered Tempera Paint Mixing Bowl Molds (TIP: To make your own stick molds, try using toilet paper rolls. To make them thinner, just cut a seam, overlap the edges, and tape together.) Step 2: Mix it up For every cup of plaster of Paris, use 3/4 cup of water. Add in as much powdered tempera as you like, and stir, stir, stir! TIP: The color of the chalk when using it on paper doesn't come out as strong as it seems like it will. So be prepared to do some experimenting. Step 3: Molds Pour the mixture into your molds. For fun, mix up a few different colors, and swirl them together! Step 4: Clean up Clean up is very important - and you don't want to rinse this stuff down your sink. See how it's setting up in those molds? It's going to do the same in your pipes! Take a container like a small waste bin, and line it with a plastic bag. Pour in some water, and use this as a sink to rinse everything - all materials, your hands, everything! Let the plaster set up in the bottom, and the water will rise to the top. Once it's settled, you can pour off the water from the top, leaving the plaster undisturbed. Dispose of the bag. Step 5: Check out your chalk! Drying time will vary, depending on size of the molds you use. It's pretty easy to tell by look and feel when the chalk will be ready to de-mold. Even if you pop it out and it's not set yet, you can let it air dry a bit more without worrying about it losing its shape. Now get outside and make some art! (Source) [mpc_grid_images preset="mpc_preset_5" images="2505,2504,2503,2502" cols="4" gap="0" image_opacity="100" effect="none" image_hover_opacity="100"]

‘Tis the season for STEM! Or better yet, warm up this winter with STEAM (we like to add a little Art to our Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). This holiday star activity is so easy to do at home with just toothpicks, water and a straw. Our favorite STEM activities use household objects to create magical results. With winter break around the corner, kids will be home from school and looking for entertainment. Why not keep their minds active with a little science and art project? 1. Gather 5 toothpicks. Break them each in half without completely separating the two pieces (it’ll crack, but the wood will still be connected). 2. Place the toothpicks together in the center of a plate to form a five-pointed star shape (with the bent middles facing inward). The edges of the toothpicks should touch each other. 3. Fill a straw part-way with water. You can also use an eyedropper. 4. Use the straw or eyedropper to add drops of water into the center of your star. Make sure the broken/bent pieces soak up with water. 5. Watch your holiday star magically grow! STEAM BONUS: Add some art to your science experiment. Decorate your paper plate with a Christmas tree and place your STEM star on the top! Or fill your plate full of snowflakes and twinkling stars to create a wintery night sky. Remember to check your area for Challenge Island Winter Break camps… the perfect accompaniment to a winter staycation.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, it’s the perfect time to reflect on life’s many gifts. During holiday downtime, have fun being thankful with our Gratitude Gears game! If we teach our kids to be grateful for things (a la sending thank you notes to grandma every year), we imply that success and happiness are connected to a collection of things. To instill a real sense of gratitude, it’s important to focus on all the intangible gifts we receive – like our personal strengths, our friendships, our experiences and past memories. The Challenge Island Gratitude Gears game key will help shift the conversation to emphasize all our abstract appreciations. We love this Gratitude Gears game key, because it applies to so many classic games – from Twister to Candy Land! Every time you land on a color, find the matching gear. You can also make your own homemade version of pick-up-sticks, using popsicle sticks or even chopsticks. Grab some markers and have fun making your own game! DOWNLOAD THE GRATITUDE GEARS PDF Be sure to join Challenge Island for the coolest Thanksgiving challenge around at Mayflower Harbor. Challenge Island kids will build their own Mayflower and race it to America, building 21st century skills along the way. 102 Pilgrims set sail on the first crew. How many will your ship hold? Find a location near you to find out more, or contact us!

Double, double, toil & trouble! Fire burn and cauldron bubble… full of monster eyes! The ingredients for a STEAM-y Halloween activity are waiting for you right in your kitchen pantry. All you need for this ooey-gooey, creeper-peeper experiment are eggs, vinegar, permanent marker, corn syrup and food coloring. Step One: Use permanent markers to decorate a raw egg (or multiple eggs) and create spooky monster eyes. The creepier the better! Place the eggs in a jar and cover them with vinegar. This can be white or cider vinegar. (Remember to wash your hands after handling the eggs!) Let them sit overnight and check on your monster eyes in the morning. What happened to the eggs? You’ll notice only the membrane of the egg remains. Vinegar is an acid that breaks down the egg shell, which is made of calcium and carbon. It’s a chemical reaction! Did you notice any bubbling when you first covered the eggs with the vinegar? This was your first sign of a chemical reaction. Carbon and vinegar reacted to form carbon dioxide bubbles! Step Two: Return the eggs to the jar. Cover the eggs with corn syrup and add green food coloring. Leave them in the refrigerator for 24 hours. What happened to the eggs this time? You’ll notice your eerie monster eyes have shrunk! The soft membrane of the eggs let water molecules pass through – a process called osmosis. Because corn syrup doesn’t have much water, the molecules moved out of the egg and into the corn syrup, making the monster eyes shrivel! When you’re done “eggsperimenting,” you can leave the monster eyes in their green goo for a spooky Halloween decoration. At Challenge Island, we love activities that combine science with art and hands-on learning! What’s more fun than that? Be sure to send us pictures of your monster eyes! Tag us on Facebook, Instagram, or use the hashtag #ChallengeIsland. We’d love to share your creepy creations! Big thanks to the Kitchen Pantry Scientist for this fun at-home activity. For the full Challenge Island experience, from building stomp rockets to designing roller coasters, be sure to sign up locally or contact us!

Ahoy, Challenge Island mateys! Did you know September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day? There are plenty of ways to celebrate this silly, seas-sational holiday with STEAM-tastic fun. Be sure to check your local Challenge Island for field trips or schedule a themed birthday party for an extra splash! Looking for at-home activities for your seafaring family? Scholastic has a treasure trove of ideas, including: Hide “Buried” treasure: Hide pirate’s booty somewhere in your home or even in your backyard! Create a treasure map with clues for your kids to follow. Create a pirate dictionary: Use this template to create your own pirate lingo! You can also use real pirate terminology to teach your kids how to truly talk the talk. Read a pirate-themed book: There are tons of kid-friendly books on deck. Try How I Became A Pirate, Pirates Love Underpants, or Pirates Don’t Change Diapers. Discover your pirate name: What’s your pirate name? Follow the simple steps from Magical Childhood and make name tags. Draw or paint a Jolly Roger: All you need is a sheet of white paper and some crayons, markers or paints for this fun art project. Channel your inner pirate picasso and create your own Jolly Roger (pirate flag)! At Challenge Island, kids will engineer their own wind-powered pirate ships. They’ll work together in Tribes to create a functional mast and sail for the ship using a variety of possible materials, then in full scientific fashion, they’ll test, evaluate and improve the ship. Together, the Tribe will use creative and artistic skills to name and decorate their pirate ships before a final “Race to the Treasure!” For more information or to sign up locally, contact us!

Get ready for the Great American Solar Eclipse on August 21, 2017! The total solar eclipse will be visible across the entire contiguous United States, making this a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about our solar system and our sun’s energy. You can harness solar energy with a DIY oven project from NASA. Reward yourself after your hard work with a batch of delicious Solar S’mores. No campfire required! You will need: Cardboard box with attached lid. Lid should have flaps so that the box can be closed tightly. Box should be at least 3 inches deep and big enough to set a pie tin inside. (Hint: A pizza box works great!) Aluminum foil Clear plastic wrap Glue stick Markers (so you can decorate your oven!) Tape (transparent tape, duct tape, masking tape, or whatever you have) Stick (about 1 foot long) to prop open reflector flap. (Use a skewer, knitting needle, ruler, or whatever you have.) Ruler or straight-edge Box cutter or Xacto knife (with adult help, please!) How to make solar oven: Decorate your cardboard box with fun colors and patterns to make the oven a work of art! Using the straight edge as a guide, cut a three-sided flap out of the top of the box, leaving at least a 1-inch border around the three sides. Cover the bottom (inside) of the flap with aluminum foil, spreading a coat of glue from the glue stick onto the cardboard first and making the foil as smooth as possible. Line the inside of the box with aluminum foil, again gluing it down and making it as smooth as possible. Tape two layers of plastic wrap across the opening you cut in the lid—one layer on the top and one layer on the bottom side of the lid. Test the stick you will use to prop the lid up. You may have to use tape or figure another way to make the stick stay put. Put the oven to work: Set the oven in the direct sun, with the flap propped to reflect the light into the box. You will probably have to tape the prop in place. Preheat the oven for at least 30 minutes. To make S’mores, you will need: Graham crackers Large marshmallows Plain chocolate bars (thin) Aluminum pie pan Napkins! Get cookin’! IMPORTANT! Note that unlike most recipes, our s’mores have the marshmallow UNDER the chocolate. That’s because, in the solar oven, it takes the marshmallow longer to melt than the chocolate. Break graham crackers in half to make squares. Place four squares in the pie pan. Place a marshmallow on each. Place the pan in the preheated solar oven. Close the oven lid (the part with the plastic wrap on it) tightly, and prop up the flap to reflect the sunlight into the box. Depending on how hot the day is, and how directly the sunlight shines on the oven, the marshmallows will take 30 to 60 minutes to get squishy when you poke them. Then, open the oven lid and place a piece of chocolate (about half the size of the graham cracker square) on top of each marshmallow. Place another graham cracker square on top of the chocolate and press down gently to squash the marshmallow. Close the lid of the solar oven and let the Sun heat it up for a few minutes more, just to melt the chocolate a bit. Enjoy! For step-by-step diagrams, head over to NASA’s Climate Kids website. You can find plenty of other activities and games by becoming a Climate Kid. Don’t forget to tune into the Great…

Whether you need a 4th of July activity with your kids or just want ideas for summer fun, building a rocket is a Challenge Island approved activity that you can do yourself. You will need: An empty water bottle Thin straw Wide straw Clay Make the launcher: Hold the thin straw about an inch down into the mouth of the bottle. Wrap a ball of clay about the size of a quarter around the bottle opening, sealing it tightly. Squeeze the bottle to make sure no air escapes. Make the rocket: Seal up one end of a wide straw with a small ball of clay. Place the open end of the straw over the thinner straw on the launcher. Blast off! Wrap both hands around the bottle and squeeze sharply in the middle. Your rocket should fly through the air! Challenge Island Summer Camps This DIY rocket and tons of other kid friendly activities are a part of Challenge Island’s STEAMtastic summer camps and afterschool enrichment programs. It’s not too late to sign up! Some Challenge Island locations are still offering sign-ups for camp, and back-to-school is around the corner.

List of Awards!

#1 STEM/STEAM Franchise in the World by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Fastest Growing Franchise 2020, 2019

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Franchises Under 50K 2020, 2019, 2018

Entrepreneur Magazine’s Best Low Cost Franchises 2020, 2019, 2018

Parents Picks Award 2018

Franchise of the Year Silver Award – Franchise Broker’s Association

Franchise Dictionary Magazine Game Changers Award 2020, 2019

Frantastic 500 Franchise Dictionary Magazine 2020

ABOUT CHALLENGE ISLAND

Challenge Island® is the world’s #1 STEM/STEAM program by Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500. With over 100 locations in the USA and Worldwide, Challenge Island has touched the lives of over 1 million children in over 6000 schools and community locations, Founded by award-winning educator, author, and parenting/education journalist Sharon Duke Estroff, Challenge Island® is grounded in cutting edge educational thought and at the forefront of S.T.E.A.M. Education and 21st Century Learning.